October 29, 2025 — President Wayne Spence delivered his 11th State of the Union address at the 47th annual PEF Convention October 20 in Lake Placid, sharing the union’s victories over the last year and looking to continued success in the future.
“This year’s Convention theme, ‘Stronger Roots, Bolder Future,’ reminds us that we are not here by accident, we are a product of decades of collective action, hard-fought battles, and unbreakable solidarity,” President Spence told the nearly 700 delegates. “Our roots are strong. They were planted by the trailblazers who came before us – those who demanded fair pay, fought for safety standards, and believed that dignity at work was a right, not a reward.
“Those roots anchor us, give us strength when political winds shift, steady us when others try to divide us, and remind us that we are one union, one voice, moving forward together,” he said. “But roots don’t just keep us grounded – they nourish growth. They allow us to envision, reach, and rise toward a bolder future – one where workers are protected and empowered, where our members are not just heard but heeded.”
Among the achievements this past year, PEF led the fight to save SUNY Downstate, resulting in $1.1 billion in funding to preserve Downstate as a full-service public hospital.
“We didn’t just save jobs – we saved healthcare in Central Brooklyn,” President Spence said. “We did something that folks didn’t think we would be able to do. What we now have is a template on how to work with the community to come together, not just as a union, but as a collective force to tackle issues. Other unions are looking at what we did in Brooklyn as a template for what can be done across the country.”
In 2025, PEF’s advocacy included fights for salary upgrades for underpaid titles; staffing relief at critical state agencies; and Civil Service modernization footed in fairness. Over the last year, PEF helped win $50 million for body scanners at DOCCS and other facilities and $25 million to expand mental health services through Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams and case management.
Each department at PEF played pivotal roles in protecting, empowering, and lifting up members across the state. PEF Legal secured $128,000 in back pay for members thanks in part to the Expedited Suspension Review process secured in the last contract. The Health and Safety, Organizing, and Communications departments banded together to develop the Stop Workplace Violence campaign, which led to potentially life-saving changes at OMH.
“We now hear about violent incidents in the workplace immediately, allowing us to quickly support members,” President Spence said. “If you remember, it was last year at Convention that member Peter Shiffman was assaulted by a patient at South Beach Psychiatric Center and I showed you a photo of his horrible injuries. He is still recovering and now sharing his story. WCBS-TV in New York talked to him, Carl Ankrah, and me for a piece that really highlights our efforts to curb workplace violence in state agencies. We don’t have to wait for somebody to be attacked to change those situations. We need to highlight these things.”
President Spence reported that PEF has already begun asking the state to come to the table and start work on a successor collective bargaining agreement. “The Contract Team is ready to work,” he said. “They have been training and putting in the work and doing their homework.”
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PEF continues to grow, with 1,600 new dues-paying members added in calendar year 2024.
“That’s not just a number,” President Spence said, “that is power at the bargaining table, in the Legislature, and at the workplace. We will never allow our members to become collateral damage in a broken system. We will fight. When things go wrong, we will demand safety, respect, and action, not apologies.”
The Trump Administration has begun implementing aspects of Project 2025, President Spence said, including massive cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, which ripple across state agency budgets where members work.
“We cannot allow national politics to destroy local services,” he said. “I believe our future is a bold future. Let us recommit. Let us refocus. Let us rise – together. Because we are stronger than the crisis and bolder than the opposition. We set the bar. We raise the standard. We lead the way.”
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